Tom Hindle

MLS returns from its World Cup break with Lionel Messi facing an uncertain timeline, Robert Lewandowski and Antoine Griezmann arriving, and Nashville SC setting the pace.

Lionel Messi is a famously quiet character, but his playoff intensity got the best out of some of his former MLS teammates

And so we get to the real bit. England have had, in truth, quite a favourable run in the World Cup thus far. Mexico at the Azteca was a real test, but they are yet to face a team that is, objectively, better than them. Enter Argentina, the reigning champions and led by a certain Lionel Messi.

Spain-France and England-Argentina headline a blockbuster semifinal lineup as the World Cup enters its decisive week.

FIFA’s Creator Correspondent program has given 30 TikTok personalities remarkable access at the World Cup - and offered a glimpse of how social media is reshaping soccer coverage in North America.

Watch the video again and you can almost see Jude Bellingham loading his answer as the interviewer navigates the question. The Real Madrid superstar had just been informed that his manager, Thomas Tuchel, was "disappointed" with England's performance following a gusty 2-1 win over Norway in Miami on Saturday night. Bellingham's remarkably clippable response? "Whatever."

The loudest cheer of the night came when Jude Bellingham took his swansong. He didn't need long. Even the way he ran off the pitch was purposeful - a direct scamper, a couple of kisses and a wave to the crowd. It was much like the rest of his performance. Bellingham had grabbed this game and molded it in his will. He scored two talismanic goals, and did plenty of other important stuff, too - tackle, pass, dribble, shout.

The goalkeeper was facing retirement as recently as December last year, but he has become a USL Championship hero after breaking the World Cup save record.

This is no doubt the biggest selection decision of Thomas Tuchel's England tenure to date. The Three Lions are favourites going into Saturday's World Cup quarter-final clash with Norway in Miami. England really should have too much quality all over the field for their Scandinavian opponents. But that doesn't mean Tuchel has it easy. England have a handful of tricky decisions to make.

There's a lot to like about England's World Cup quarter-final clash with Norway on Saturday evening. It's a game laden with storylines. England have star power at numerous positions. Norway are the more cohesive team, geared towards serving one star. England have won at the Azteca. Norway knocked out Brazil. England have won the World Cup. Norway have not.

Major League Soccer unveiled its full All-Star Game roster ahead of its annual matchup with Liga MX's best players, with a number of the league's top stars supplementing an already impressive XI selected through fan voting. Lionel Messi is the headliner, while new additions include Sam Surridge, Evander, Tim Ream and Anders Dreyer.

The final 20 minutes of England's dramatic, round-of-16 win over Mexico suited Jordan Pickford down to the ground. The Three Lions were down to 10 men, and Thomas Tuchel made the remit clear: To bunker in and keep the ball as far away from goal as possible. Pickford performed his task to a tee.

The USMNT collapsed against Belgium, and suffered an emphatic loss in the biggest game in the program's history

Substitute Mikel Merino scored a late winner as Spain edged Portugal 1-0 in an unexpectedly drab World Cup round-of-16 clash on Monday. The Arsenal midfielder was introduced in the 85th minute and won the game in the 91st with a tidy finish that was just about deserved. La Roja were ineffective for long stretches, and created little, but Merino proved to be the difference-maker.

Donald Trump confirmed that he asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Folarin Balogun's red card, after the American was sent off during the USMNT's fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The one-game ban imposed by the contentious decision was soon suspended for a year, leaving Balogun able to play in the U.S.'s World Cup round of 16 fixture against Belgium.

Well, it was never going to be easy, was it? If England were to win at the Azteca - something that only two teams had managed before in a competitive fixture - there were going to be bumps, bruises and a fair few scares. What probably wasn't accounted for, though, was total chaos. And that's what this was: a back and forth, gutsy, often brilliant, consistently nerve-wracking and, ultimately, glorious 3-2 win over Mexico that provided an immense boost to England's World Cup hopes.

The U.S. have their star striker back, and head into a fixture against top European opposition in a far better place than many might have imagined.

USMNT striker Folarin Balogun has had his one-game ban suspended, and is eligible to play in his country's Round of 16 game against Belgium Monday night. The Monaco forward was supposed to be ruled out of the fixture after picking up a straight red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, FIFA unilaterally stepped in and pushed his suspension back.